Archive for
March 13, 2017

This four-story Queen Anne Victorian was once a dilapidated drug house on Chicago’s South Side. But one man’s vision and sweat equity has restored its beauty and created a home for a wide variety of community artistic experiences. On warm evenings, guests can enjoy the backyard, a space transformed in part with Thompson’s® WaterSeal® waterproofers.

Take a walk down the 7000 block of South Perry Avenue, then stop in front of 7042. It’s not the same building it was four years ago.

Take a walk down the 7000 block of South Perry Avenue, then stop in front of 7042.

It’s not the same building it was four years ago. It was once a haven for drug dealers, and its customers before it were engulfed by fire in 2004.

Now the “undiscovered gem” is the four-story Perry Mansion Cultural Center.

The center’s founder and CEO Samuel Smith, a former resident of a public housing development on the West Side, owns property in Englewood and saw the vast potential the mini-mansion had, if it wasn’t overrun by drugs.

Smith, a media and real estate professional, just couldn’t “let it go to waste.”

He thought about rehabbing the property and renting it, but instead chose to restore the building and use it for community purposes. He used his own resources and contracting experience to restore the “eyesore” in the community, Smith said.

The 110-year-old building will house all genres of art, and feature local, national and international artists, as well as entertainers. It will also have educational programs about the arts that will engage youth during after-school hours.

Trim-Tex is honored to welcome Sam Smith, Founder and CEO of the Perry Mansion Cultural Center to our Design and Training Center. Smith, a real estate developer and former resident of a public housing development on the West Side of Chicago, was inspired to help his crime-ridden community by converting the burned down drug house into a place of inspiration for his community. After Smith bought the house, he had a dream that inspired him to convert it into a community center with art and music programs. Smith used his own contracting experience to restore the building and convert it to a safe space for the community. By implementing cultural and artistic programs in inner-city areas, opportunities are created for the youth that can help improve their future.